Tory MPs rage against 'unfair' tier lockdown restrictions that deny 'touch of loved ones'

Furious Conservative MPs warned Boris Johnson on Tuesday night their older constituents have “nothing left to live for” after months without their families, as they voted in droves against today’s new tiered lockdown rules.

The Prime Minister heard speech after speech from Tory backbenchers worried about the effect of continued restrictions on daily life for millions, especially for vulnerable older people who have been “denied the touch of the people that they love”.

Although Labour’s decision to abstain gave the Government a victory of 292 votes to 78, an unprecedented 55 Conservatives voted against Mr Johnson - the largest rebellion of this Parliament.

When the vote came, Mr Johnson, Matt Hancock and Mark Spencer, the Chief Whip, formed a "gauntlet" that MPs had to pass as they went through the voting lobbies. One MP said It had been made very clear to those opposing that there would be consequences.

Among the Tory rebels were lifelong loyalists including Jeremy Wright, the former Culture Secretary, who voted against the Government for the first time in ten years.

Craig Mackinlay, Tory MP for South Thanet, said a constituent had sent him a photo of their elderly father, who “looked broken” after months of lockdown.

“We are breaking older people where there is nothing left to live for,” he warned.

Sir Charles Walker, vice-chair of the 1922 Committee, issued a plea to the Prime Minister to “involve older people in the discussion” about coronavirus, warning him: “They've been denied the touch of the people that they love”.

“We have kept families apart for the good of an old person that is desperate to see their child, is desperate to be cared for by their daughter in their final months and weeks,” he said.

“They love their children and grandchildren and want to see them prosper, they want to see them have the same chances and opportunities that they had in their life."

As MPs lined up to criticise Mr Johnson for placing their constituencies into Tier 3, the Prime Minister walked out of the Chamber to visit the Commons tea room, where he was accosted by angry MPs who told him they would vote against the measures.

Later, he and his chief whip, Mark Spencer, hosted a Zoom call for Tory MPs in a last-ditch attempt to convince them to vote with the Government.

From the Labour benches, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi challenged Mr Johnson on the restrictions in his Slough constituency, which is the only part of Berkshire to be placed into Tier 3.

Asked why he hated the town - near to Eton, where he was schooled - the Prime Minister replied: “I love Slough”, but acknowledged many feel “injustice” over being put in higher tiers “than they deserve”.

In a major concession to the rebels, Mr Johnson committed to a “granular” tier system that recognises local variations in infection rates, and could be introduced as soon as mid December.

"As we go forward, and I mean this very sincerely, the Government will look at how we can reflect as closely as possible the reality of what is happening on the ground, looking at the incidence of the disease, the human geography and spread of the virus,” he said.

Jeremy Wright, one of the most high profile rebels, said any review of restrictions on December 16 would come too late for the hospitality industry’s Christmas trade.

“Most if not all of the pre-Christmas season will be lost in an area where the visitor economy is crucial,” he said.

“Some of the businesses I am talking about will not survive further economic damage inflicted by these tiered restrictions, which are a blunter instrument than they need or ought to be.”

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, called for greater cash grants for business that had been in tough restrictions for longer and which will return to Tier 3 today.

"That is unfair and everybody knows it is unfair and everybody in this House has been told by their constituents and by their businesses that it is unfair,” he said.

Mr Johnson announced that “wet pubs”, which do not serve food will have to close in Tier 2 and 3 areas today, would receive £1000 each from the Government.

The package was branded “nowhere near sufficient” to keep businesses afloat.

Several party grandees warned the new rules would not be followed if the public thought they were excessive.

Andrea Leadsom, former Business Secretary, said constituents had “just had enough, and the risk of non compliance is very great,” while in a brief moment of levity, Sir Edward Leigh recalled being admonished for sitting with his wife to have lunch in Parliament.

“It seems in Covid Britain, you can sleep with a woman for 37 years but you can't have lunch with her,” he joked, adding that he would “reluctantly” vote for the measures because MPs had no alternative proposal.

Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee, said the Government had failed to justify continued restrictions on freedom.

"If Government is to take away fundamental liberties of the people whom we represent, they must demonstrate beyond question that they're acting in a way that is both proportionate and absolutely necessary,” he said.

"Today, I believe the Government has failed to make that compelling case.

Steve Baker, the MP for Wycombe, said he and other rebels had “done their duty” by examining the evidence for the tiered lockdown, but had decided to vote against Mr Johnson.

“I'm going to have to vote no tonight to send a message to the Government,” he said.